Nightly Reflections – Thursday, June 30th, 2022

I don’t like this heat. Enough said.

Happy Weekend Eve! Happy Pension Day Eve! Happy Friday Eve! Happy Goodbye June! And the list goes on and on. lol How was the day? Mine began on such a positive note, I have to share it with you. Now I get that I need to keep everything along these lines “in perspective” but I also am NOT going to simply think, “Well, that’s nice,” and walk away from it. I’m talking about a text message I received this morning around 3:00. It was from my former student who I met with two days ago who was reading the screenplay. He apparently finished the reading this morning. And his comments…were most satisfying. I was nervous to read his reaction, but it was a total delight to read. And I appreciate his input. He was very specific in his comments as to what he liked. It was exciting to read, to be honest. So, the first reader of the screenplay was most pleased with our story. Next up, the pro. We will likely hear from him next week, as I shared. He said he’d send his “report” to us after the 4th. Think I’m nervous about that? I most certainly am. It’s sorta like…when this sells and is made into a film, if they haven’t messed with our story much, I’ll be nervous to hear what critics say about the story. Gotta keep telling myself, “…in perspective…” I have to laugh. I used to tell my students, regardless of what they were writing, that once they wrote it and the editing process began from their peers and ultimately me, they shouldn’t take anything anyone is telling them PERSONALLY. Writing is a very personal act and I have found over decades that we are cut to the quick when someone “comments” on our writing in a negative/constructive fashion. HA! Now I will be telling myself that for a few days. Psssst….come here….ya wanna know something though? It’s still a blast! 🙂

Today had in it another trip to the grocery store. I do NOT want to be visiting any grocery store on the weekend of the 4th. Total craziness. So, I did that and then had to run to the writing group gathering at 3:00 once again. The oldest member of our group was celebrating his birthday and we helped in our small way. One of us, the only female in the group, whipped up a delicious batch of her brownies. Man oh man, were they tasty! Seven and a half candles to represent the decades ( plus a half of one … lol ). The heat was ugly, but there was a breeze after a bit, albeit warm. When I got there, the birthday boy was there already. He presented to me something he thought I’d enjoy for its nostalgic worth. And he was right. I had all but forgotten about this comic book back in the day. Treasure Chest. Wow. I sent the pic to my second oldest brother, asking him if he remembered this, and he said he did but he too had forgotten it. I am sure my oldest brother will react the same way when he sees it. Not sure he was a big comic book reader back then, but he might have been. In any case, I did a little research on the item and here’s what I found to help you understand what this is. Treasure Chest “…was a Catholic-oriented comic book series created by Dayton, Ohio publisher George A. Pflaum and distributed in parochial schools from 1946 to 1972.” It’s so incredibly cool to see one of these issues again. I remember them very well. It’s just another one of life’s little pleasures. 🙂

Today has seen tomorrow grow in commitments. It’s been kind of crazy, to be honest. I knew for a couple of weeks that I was meeting up with the Granite City Gang for lunch at our favorite place, Granite City. Duh! I also learned last week I’d have to leave there about 3 or so if I wanted to beat the classic car owners and pick up my parade book from my parade boss at the American Legion before 4:00. So, there’s that. Then, I heard from a former colleague who had fallen out of contact for a while, but she reached out today, wondering when we could meet, suggesting tomorrow morning. Well, that worked for me cuz I don’t have to be at GC until 1:30, so I said sure and we decided upon 10:00 for coffee. Then, having heard back from my former student, I asked him when we could connect to talk about it and to return the screenplay to me. He suggested tomorrow as well. LOL I said ok. How about noon? I asked him. He was good with that. So that gives me enough time to chat with him and get more feedback before running off to meet the GC Gang. And just when I thought making arrangements with people for tomorrow was done, my horror movie buddy’s mom reached out, wondering if I wanted to see ELVIS tomorrow. And I most definitely want to see this film. A good friend saw it again last night. He, along with other friends, have loved the film. I am certain I will too. So, tomorrow is BOOKED solid. We likely will head on over to Doolittle’s for dinner on the patio and that will be fun too. Good thing tomorrow is pension day cuz I’m gonna need it! lol

Tonight is baseball and then maybe the 6th episode of Stranger Things. Watch #5 last night. I really like this season above all of them. Tomorrow, the final two parts to the finale are released so I’ll be pretty much caught up. Good. Now maybe you know why I say that this summer is going to fly by. I haven’t told you about August yet. It’s coming though 🙂 Have a great night and a wonderful end to the week as well as a wonderful day welcoming July! I was in Target yesterday. Guess what they have up already. Yup. Back-To-School area is ready to go. They’re smart enough NOT to have those words in the area…yet. They know better. Some enraged 2nd grader may break free from his mother’s grasp and wanna just create havoc! 😛

Having told you about my day tomorrow, tomorrow night’s post is going to be super late. You have been warned, Vegas.

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, June 29th, 2022

YOU’VE BEEN WARNED: Ok, a bit dramatic, but wanted to catch your attention. I have had some issues with my laptop, my two and a half year old laptop. I’ve gone to charge it, but it’s been a challenge. When I plug it into the wall and then slide the opposite end into the laptop, at first I’ll see the charging symbol, but it quickly, like in two seconds, it disappears. Somehow, I’ve managed to charge it cuz I placed the laptop just right or I played with the cord. Don’t ask cuz I don’t even know. I just know I have been lucky to be able to still charge it, but I can’t guarantee that’s going to continue to be the case. SO…I called Apple Support today to get some insight. They’ve always been great to work with. She said, however, she couldn’t do anything. She suggested I take the laptop and the charging cord to the Apple Store at the MOA. Well, at first, I thought I’d get a new charging cord to see if that would work. This should NOT be my battery. I had to run to Target anyhow, so while there, I picked up a new device that slips into the wall. I got home and tried it immediately. And, I was disappointed. So, I called the MOA store and got a reservation for tomorrow around noon. I switched out the new charger with the old and of course…suddenly I got a charge icon that stayed on. I managed to b e able to charge the laptop so I could write tonight. Again, something is wrong and I got lucky today, so since my laptop is under a warranty I paid for, I am taking it out and telling them the situation. I need to know what’s wrong. SO, if you should see NO Reflection Thursday night, you can assume they wanted to keep the laptop. I don’t know what they’ll do, but in case that’s the ending for now, I wanted to make sure you’d know too. I’ve asked several good friends who read me each night to, if nothing else, check to see each DAY that I’ve written the night before. If not, they may want to try to reach me. Living alone, one never knows, ya know. I’d just as soon not be left to be found days after I pass, and the only real way to know is to see whether or not I wrote. I’ve told them if I couldn’t write, like the time I took off three nights when Willy passed, I would let them know so they wouldn’t worry and I wouldn’t be surprised by firefighters busting down my door! LOL And now you know 🙂

Today, the screenplay took the next step to being real and complete. The man who is going to read it with a critical eye received the script today. He responded to us, indicating his congratulations on our completion of this major project and that he’d being reading it TOMORROW and would get his report to us after the Fourth. To tell you my tummy didn’t do a little bit of a flip when I received his email would be hiding something from you. It just got more real and now we wait for his reaction. This guy does this on the side, had the credentials to do so and will be paid for his input. Once he finishes, it will mean another Zoom for my writing partner and me to discuss his findings and what we want to pay attention to and what we will move past. We are on track for completion by the end of July. Stay tuned. (damn, this is exciting)

Happy Wednesday! It’s warm again! And it’s so dry out there. Lawns look ill. Now the next day we could see rain is … MONDAY! Dang it. Our track record for avoiding rain on the day of the parade is nearly spotless. Amazingly so. Every year at RHS, we expected rain on the day/night of graduation and sure as heck, it would. With the Fourth parade, I’ve been doing this for 30 years and we were cancelled one year thanks to Covid and one year, the police told us to head home halfway through the parade because storms were coming and they didn’t look fun. Beyond that, the parade has always gone on! Let’s hope whatever they’re looking at doesn’t happen. I’d be sad, very sad.

I watched the Brewer matinee today against the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a great game. Brewers won! Now I have the evening to watch whatever I want. And so I shall. Gonna grill some pork chops tonight. I’ll try not to burn these. Haven’t had pork chops for some time so thinking about them sounds really tasty. I’ve also jumped into my new book from yesterday, WHY WE DID IT, despite being very involved in a great book. But, as I began the new one, each page is so very interesting. This guy’s writing is really great. He manages to drive home his point but he misses no words in getting there. I’ve found myself chuckling as I read the first few pages. The author has attitude, an intolerant attitude. I like this guy. I look forward to immersing myself in it once the book I am reading is over. Fun to have found two really good books for the start of summer. 🙂

Ok. That’s it. One more day in this month and June 2022 is behind us. WTH? It’s not like July is going to move slowly. Just no stopping time, For you, you’re a couple days away from a 3-day weekend. YAY! Fun things coming down the road for me, beginning next week when I announce the Fourth of July parade in Apple Valley. So much more after that. Stay tuned. I think you’ll be amused. Until tomorrow night, stay cool.

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, June 28th, 2022

Last night, I sat through episodes #3 and #4 of Stranger Things. I will admit that I think this season may be the best of the four. With the final two mega episodes coming Friday, I hope to be caught up with the remaining three that are available now. At the end of #4, I wrote a friend and said, “This new season is INTENSE.” And it is. 😛

Happy Tuesday. One week from today, we have celebrated the biggest holiday of the summer. We are heading into a weekend where we know we will hear a ton of fireworks which will upset pet owners because of how their pets react to such noise. My sister has a couple of dogs who don’t do well with all the chaos of fireworks as well. But, like it or not, it’s coming. It usually takes a week for them to slowly disappear from the neighborhoods. Last year, there was this group across the street that had a ton of fireworks they were firing off. Kinda drove even me crazy.

My day began with the Beaver and Perry, as always, but then a quick shower and I was off to Rosemount’s Caribou to meet up with a former student of mine who, today actually, is celebrating birthday #24. I’ve mentioned this guy before you too. He is going to school in Chicago. Film school. I have never known anyone who is as much of an admirer of film as this guy. He loves the movies and the science behind the movies. He will be a name some day, I am sure. He’s known about our screenplay now for a while and he indicated he’d love to read it when it was done. Well, it’s not done, but it’s dang near done. And I have two copies of that second draft. So, I reached out to him, knowing he wanted to read it, and asked him how long he would need to get it done. His response was that he was off today and tomorrow from his summer job. So, I said we’d meet up and we did. I handed the screenplay to him and felt like I was handing off a child. It was really weird. His eyes will be the first pair of eyes that will read this document. He loves Christmas movies, so that’s a good thing 🙂 . I’m a little nervous to know it’s now being read by an outside source. And, to top that off, today my writing partner plans to call the professional screenplay reader to see if he’s ready for our screenplay. This is the guy who will read it and give us his honest feedback. He’s written his own screenplays and he’s an actor and I think he might even be a director? Dunno about that one for sure. But, for sure, he will be the last step before the final draft is produced. This should all come to an end in July. So, yup. Today marks the day when others begin to read our story. I hope they like it.

I have been struggling the last 24 hours with my neck/shoulder/head discomfort. I tried everything and finally late this afternoon, I went to the cupboard to grab a couple of the muscle relaxers. I will pay the price for the rest of the night, but it’s the one thing that always works. Next week, I have my doc appointment and I am going to pursue a cortisone shot for this ongoing ailment. I’m so tired of it.

This morning, I listened to an interview on CNN between the hosts of the morning show and an author who I’ve listened to numberous times on MSNBC. He’s a journalist by trade. “Tim Miller is an American political consultant and writer known for his role as communications director for the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign of Jeb Bush.” I’ve always been intrigued when listening to him. He’s no dummy. Well, he’s written a book, Why We Did It? The interview regarding today’s release of his book was pulling me in. Here’s a cut-and-paste of the book’s content. “As one of the strategists behind the famous 2012 RNC “autopsy,” Miller conducts his own forensic study on the pungent carcass of the party he used to love, cutting into all the hubris, ambition, idiocy, desperation, and self-deception for everyone to see. In a bracingly honest reflection on both his own past work for the Republican Party and the contortions of his former peers in the GOP establishment, Miller draws a straight line between the actions of the 2000s GOP to the Republican political class’s Trumpian takeover, including the horrors of January 6th. From ruminations on the mental jujitsu that allowed him as a gay man to justify becoming a hitman for homophobes, to astonishingly raw interviews with former colleagues who jumped on the Trump Train, Miller diagrams the flattering and delusional stories GOP operatives tell themselves so they can sleep at night. With a humorous touch he reveals Reince Priebus’ neediness, Sean Spicer’s desperation, Elise Stefanik and Chris Christie’s raw ambition, and his close friends’ submission to a MAGA psychosis.” So, I picked it up. End of story 😛

It was quite a hearing today. Quite.

Tonight is Tuesday, and I’ll have to ignore my Brewers’ game so I can watch America’s Got Talent once again. That means tomorrow night, another Golden Buzzer. I think it will be the final Golden Buzzer already. Which seems not right, but I think this is the 5th one. Next Wednesday, I will race back from my doctor’s appointment cuz I’ll have already missed a bunch of the LIVE broadcast of Big Brother and Julie Chen will have already introduced to us the new houseguests! I’m super pumped about that returning, as you know 🙂

I grilled those chicken thighs last night, but I turned my back too long. I really scorched the crap out of them initially. However, I still ate a couple. They were still juicy inside their black blanket. Tonight, meal #2 from that effort. I think I’m making a pasta side dish to accompany it tonight. I’m already salivating! Hoping you had a good Tuesday and that Wednesday is good to you, albeit warm. We’ll saunter on back tomorrow night to chit chat once again. And with that…

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Monday, June 27th, 2022

I am starting tonight’s Reflection from the patio of the NEW Starbucks on Pilot Knob, just across from Target and virtually next to the Texas Roadhouse. And I have to tell you…I think this will be my new favorite Starbucks. Besides it being the closest, it’s also very cool inside. Lots of various types of seating and bright with the windows. It’s impressive. And I managed to get done what I came here to do, but I’ll explain that in a bit. Tonight’s pics include the interior of the new Starbucks.

Happy Monday. You already know what I’m going to say about the weather today. INCREDIBLE! What a treat it was to be outside today! First on the house patio and then the Starbucks patio. The only reason I finally left Starbucks was I was getting hungry for lunch! But now I’m home and ready to write the brunt of this from my writing desk 🙂

Returning to last night, I finally watched the THREE-HOUR movie on HBO MAX, The Batman. I didn’t expect to like this, to be honest. It always seemed simply too dark for my tastebuds. And to be honest, it WAS! But the story was compelling as was its delivery. I’ll admit it never even felt like three hours. It was certainly dark but it was a dark story. I thought Robert Pattinson played a convincing Batman, maybe the best if you’re looking for a deeply troubled character. This guy made his name in the Twilight movie series. He was definitely not that vampire in this film. And I think it did nothing but rain for three hours. But, again, it was really good. Glad I watched it. After it, the return of the next season of Westworld. I’ve been a follower of that show since its first episode. I’ll watch this too…in time.

This morning around 9:00, I moved out to my patio to simply enjoy the morning air with a cup or two of coffee. I wasn’t sitting there long before a squirrel arrived, only to stand between me and the big tree, and to engage me in a stare-down. I finally felt guilted into cutting another apple and tossing it out to the tree. Unlike the convention of squirrels a week or so ago, the traffic back there has greatly settled down and now it’s more sane and safe to be out there. lol Seriously, that day when there were around a dozen of them running all over the place with the battle sounds coming from the tree branches above…it was Twilight Zone stuff. But now, it’s much more subdued. So, when the little guy who was just standing there, looking at me, as much to say “Well? Where’s the apple slices?” I usually have this one-way conversation with him/them. “Are you hungry?” “Do you want some apple?” “Ok, you can stop staring. I’ll go cut one up for you.” Seriously, that’s what I do. I know, I know…losing one’s mind stuff, but the last thing I say when I leave the patio is, “Stay there. I’ll be one minute.” And then, when I return, he/they are always in that area, waiting. Finally, as the one immediately grabbed a slice from the grass, I did a zoom-in on his feasting for my sister’s sake and sent her the pic you’re seeing tonight. I watched him chow down the entire piece. I was astonished and then he flipped the little piece that was left and found another slice. It was again too funny and too cute. I was out there for well over an hour with my book. It was a great way to start the morning, the day and the week.

I received a text from my writing partner this morning as well, indicating that he wants to send our screenplay to the professional screenplay reader for his input on how we’ve done. However, he wants to send a logline with the screenplay. I explained logline to you last week. If you missed it, it’s simply a “grabber” in a sentence or two (three at the most) to entice the reading of the screenplay. He was about one step in front of me on this one. I shared with him I was planning on writing several options for him to consider later today, and so that’s why I was at the Starbucks when I was. I ended up creating five differing loglines for him to pick and choose or mix and match. I didn’t quite understand a logline when it was first explained to me and when I tried my hand at it a week or so ago. Today, I think I wrote five that would on some level suffice for the definition of a logline. I have yet to receive feedback from him but I am sure I will hear soon. I am not sure if I can, but if he says it’s ok for me to share the logline with you, I will.

No Brewer baseball tonight. That means the viewing options are open for me. Because they are releasing the final two volumes of Stranger Things this coming Monday to end the series, I think I’ll watch a couple more episodes tonight. Maybe even a few! That’s all. That will bring me to Perry Mason time at 10:30 🙂 Tomorrow is now not a boring day. The news that a special unscheduled hearing will take place at noon tomorrow instantly changed my day tomorrow. I want to see this. It definitely promises to have potential since it kind of came from out of nowhere.

For the time being, I’m done. Tonight I’m prepping chicken thighs again, but this time they aren’t marinading in teriyaki marinade. I think I’ll grill them and add barbecue sauce in the final minutes. All sorts of possibilities for three to four meals once I’ve done that 🙂 And it won’t be miserable standing by the grill with the weather what it is. It will make for a pleasant experience. One week from now, the parade is done and everyone is making plans for the fireworks if that’s what they’re doing. I can sit on the side of my garage and watch the AV fireworks rather well without facing traffic or tons of people. So, I suspect that’s what I’ll do. And, if history repeats itself, TCM will broadcast The Music Man at some point that day/evening. One of my top two musicals of all time.

Hoping you had a great start to you week. You’re now one day closer to the 3-day weekend, unless you’re lucky like my sister. Then it’s a 4-day weekend. Either way, the weather looks great for it all right now. Rains coming in the days ahead, hopefully. So ends this evening’s Reflection. See ya Tuesday night!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Sunday, June 26th, 2022

This, ladies and gentlemen, was my idea of the PERFECT summer day. It didn’t take long this morning to head out to the patio with coffee in hand to just sit there, taking it all in. Was even chilly after a bit, but I didn’t care. I’ll take October in June any day. The plus side of that it’s only June 🙂

Happy Sunday! And what a perfect day for the thousands who flocked to downtown for the big PRIDE parade and all the festivities at Boring Park. One year from now, who knows what other rights will be taken away. Let’s hope this isn’t the last year people can celebrate PRIDE.

One of the many things right about this day was the Brewer game that I watched all afternoon. The Brewers went down right away 3-0 in the first inning. I was so hoping it wasn’t going to be one of those Sunday games. I hate losing on Sundays in baseball. Just don’t like it. But, the Crew came back in the bottom of the inning with their own three runs. And the race was underway. However, the Blue Jays didn’t really do much after the first inning. That three runs pretty much sat there unchanged all day. But not so for the Brewers. They scored run after run throughout the subsequent innings. At day’s end, they had beaten the Jays 10-3. The bats finally came to life today. We’ve all been waiting for that to happen!

Let’s go back to last night. I finished Heartstopper on Netflix. I fell absolutely in love with that series, which got renewed for two more seasons barely out of the gate! People loved the show who were watching, the numbers were high and the folks at Netflix decided they wanted more. That makes those of us who watched it happy. It’s as charming and sweet a show as I’ve seen in a long time. Then, it was time to shut down the Obi Wan Kenobi series. Three episodes, back-to-back-to-back. I loved the way the final three episodes went. The finale episode couldn’t have been more satisfying. I think it’s the best production the Disney streaming service has done to date. After that, I watched episode 2 and 3 of The Old Man. Man oh man…this show is everything I wanted it to be. Jeff Bridges. You’ll find it on FX every Thursday night and then on HULU. The tension is comparable to that of 24, which was my favorite show of its kind. In the third episode last night, we learn something some viewers might have been guessing, but it was a surprise to me. Yup. I am hooked and there are four more episodes coming our way. Good stuff, Maynard. It’s basically Jeff Bridges VS John Lithgow. Quite a matchup.

I cut myself up another batch of watermelon. With my right hand what it is with that trigger finger, balling up the watermelon is difficult to do. Painful, actually. Even cutting the dang fruit itself is unpleasant. I just don’t see how I don’t have surgery on that hand in the future. But, I now have a fresh supply of watermelon to hopefully get me through the July 4th weekend. If I can hold off eating it all before that. lol AND it’s CLEAN SHEETS SUNDAY! Nothing better than that!

So, once the game ended, I did what I’ve done every time I’m stuck inside for most of the day. I escaped. I had to get a gallon of milk and I turned it into a bit more of an adventure as I tend to do. It was so nice to be out, window down, toodling around. As I drove west on 42, and as I crossed Cedar, I saw one of my happiest temporary signs of the year. “This Road Will Be Closed 11-3:00 PM on July 4th. Each year over the course of about 30 years, I’d always smile when I saw that sign go up days ahead of time. And if you want to know the path of the parade for the Fourth, one week from today, after 1:00, drive through and you’ll see a street or two filled with blankets and tarps and lawn chairs and canopies. Many years ago, people would stake out their space days ahead of time. The city finally said that couldn’t happen before 1:00 the day before the parade. SO, now, people go, find the spot they want, sit and wait until 1:00 and then leave their stuff til the next day. I ALWAYS drive through on the 3rd just to see for myself the excitement this parade brings to people…me included.

The other P moment I had was when I stopped at Bylerly’s. Someone who reads me gave me info weeks ago when I wrote about sweet pickles and wondered why they can’t be larger than “gherkin” size like dill pickles. Dill pickles are always in these huge jars cuz they’re huge! This individual did a little research and found that they do exist and that Bylerly’s carries the line. So, I stopped. And I was excited to finally find my treasure of large sweet pickles, but…I was crushed again. Nothing. The brand was there and they made sweet gherkins and the sandwich slices but no large jar of large sweet pickles. And that was the essence of my driving adventure before stopping at Kwik Trip to get my gallon of milk. 🙂

Here I am now. Day half over and then some. A Brewer victory, a couple of patio visits, a little drive, and ready to deal with a Sunday night. 🙂 Will likely watch some recorded network stuff I’ve been saving, like the F.B.I. various series, and the Law And Order episodes I’ve saved for just such an occasion. Or, I’ll watch more streaming service stuff. lol Can’t decide. You, however, are likely thinking about your return to work tomorrow. This week has one major event in it. Come Friday, the Granite City Gang reunites AT Granite City! I don’t think we’ve been there but once since Covid entered our reality. And to sit on the patio again will be pure delight. I’ll bug out around 3:00 cuz I have to go pick up the parade book from my boss who will be at the AV V.F.W. at that time. She needs to register owners of old cars who are going to be part of that show they do each year for this holiday. That’s going to be my highlight this week. No dentist, no doctor, no eye dealio…just lunch with my three buddies of over 3 decades. It will be nice once again.

I hope your week begins on a positive note. Keep in mind, when it ends, you’ll be experiencing a 3-day weekend. Can never complain about that, eh? 🙂 Monday night, we shall reconvene this meeting. Until then…

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Saturday, June 25th, 2022

We are half-way there! Where? you ask. Well, since you asked, it would be rude of me not to answer. Six months from today is December 25th, sillies. Fact #1…our screenplay will be done long before then. Question #1…will my writing partner and I still be waiting or will someone/some company have scooped it up by then. Could be the happiest Christmas in a long time! However, it’s June and we should probably roll with June topics, eh? Hehe.

Happy Saturday. I forgot to share with you a story about something special happening today. I’ve been playing around with the idea of buying an item that I remember so very well from my childhood. It wasn’t mine, however. It was my two older brothers’ game. I am pretty sure I remember this correctly. Friends of our parents, Edith and Erv Gossink were really nice people, and I’ll never know how truly old they really were cuz through my eyes then, they were really old. I am sure they were not, in reality. My brothers will probably be better testimonials as to how old they truly were. All I remember about them is they were nice folks and my parents liked it when they visited. I don’t know what the connection was either. How they knew them. I am pretty sure they weren’t relatives. But, every so often, they’d pop in. Well, one time, and I don’t remember this being any special occasion, they popped in with a present for my two older brothers. I suspect they felt I was too young to appreciate this game that was a challenging little distraction. I think it’s official title was Labyrinth Wooden Maze game. The idea was to maneuver the little metal ball throughout the maze by using the two controllers. It got a lot of use at the house. However, when my brothers weren’t playing it and I could get away with it, I’d go sneak it out of their grasp and I’d try my hand at it until they caught me and took it away. Grrrrrrrr….. Seriously, it was fun. And none too easy. For some time, now, I’ve thought about getting one for yet another distraction in my “golden years.” Hehe. And so, I finally acted on it a few days ago. It was only $15. I have no doubt I’ll get $15 worth of enjoyment from this. I even think I may buy a little table and simply have it set up always so if I want to get lost in the moment, I’ll just turn to it and see if I can wind my way through the maze of 35 holes until I get to the slot marked #36! The little things, folks. They’re never lost on me. 🙂

Today had a bit of a surprise in it that came along last night after I had posted Friday’s Reflection. A dear friend/former colleague wondered if I wanted to do lunch today and then stop in at the Pride celebration in Burnsville. I told her sure. Before I even had a chance to ask whether we’d do the old standards of Applebee’s or Olive Garden, she threw out Jensen’s Cafe as a suggestion. I NEVER think of that as an option. Maybe because it’s not right on 42. I love Jensen’s. Last time I was there was just before Covid became part of our reality. I had been there a few times before that. It’s a great place if you’ve never been. Sorta has an old diner feel to it, but it has great breakfasts. It’s always busy with a waiting list. If you go there, you expect to sit outside the restaurant, waiting to be called. But the quality of the dining experience is worth it. I arrived early to get on the list, got in after waiting only 10 minutes. They had thought it would be closer to 25 minutes. My friend showed up shortly after I was seated. We had, as we always do, a nice meal and chat. Then she popped in my car and we drove on down the Pkwy to the park where this Pride event was being staged. It was a very small event. I met one woman who is running for office this fall and I asked her if she got in to the Apple Valley Fourth of July parade. She said she wasn’t aware of any such parade. So, her people missed that one, but I gave her my boss’ number so she could see if she might still get in the parade. A walking unit shouldn’t be a big deal for the boss. My friend and I proceeded to find a picnic table. She ran into a couple of familiar faces from her church. We sat at a picnic table under a roof and chatted together. The air was nice enough with that breeze that it made for a pretty much perfect Saturday afternoon. Not like my normal ones. The event was shutting down and we headed back to drop my friend off at her car. I then proceeded to get a mocha and head home. Now, as I write this, I have the Brewer game on (they’re winning 5-2) and I’m waiting for my Amazon package! Oh, I did get a freebie at the park. Something I had never seen before. When I saw them on the table, I asked if it was for making ice cubes. Small ones, of course, but still…. Well, it was pointed out how far from the accurate guess I needed. This is a device to occupy children when they’re in need of a distraction. Or I can see where I could make good use of it too! lol. It’s one of the pics tonight. 🙂 It’s called a Pop-It fidget toy.

Ok. The package arrived. I have to admit it’s a much lighter weight product than the one my brothers had in the 60s. And the little metal ball is much lighter than it was back then as well. However, the game is the game. I gave it an instant attempt. Made it to 18th hole before losing it inside. The gameplay is just a little different because the materials are so much more lightweight, but in essence, it is still the game I remember. Fun. Was afraid I was going to have to redact some of that paragraph talking about it if it wasn’t going to show up tonight, but that’s no longer a concern. Brewers now lead 5-3 with one more inning to survive. Then it’s time to think about my evening agenda and I believe I have it. I will do away with the final three episodes of Obi Wan Kenobi tonight. And whatever time remains after, I will return to Jeff Bridges in The Old Man. I even have popcorn here to munch on later 🙂 And that, ladies and germs, will be the end of my Saturday night 🙂 Tomorrow is a no-pressure day once again. Just baseball at one and then, whatever I choose to do. It’s supposed to be cooler tomorrow so I will likely have patio time before the game. I sat out there this morning for a bit, but it was so flipping muggy. Hopefully tomorrow will have less of that. By week’s end, however, it looks warm again and now, as we look to the Fourth, it seems like that temp forecast is climbing little by little. I come home exhausted from that day each year. If it’s really hot, I’m more wiped than normal. And talking much of the time I’m sitting on that flatbed adds to my exhaustion. Again, I used to handle it a little better than I do now in my mid 60s. Why does that stuff have to change? HEHE….

I sure hope you had a great Saturday and that your Sunday is just as wonderful. We’ll bond in 24 hours if that’s ok. If not, I’m still coming back no matter what, so you might as well come along for the ride! Until then, continue to take in however much relaxation the weekend offers you. Brewers win!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Friday, June 24th, 2022

Today I had a moment that, as my mother would have said, “tickled me pink.” How’s that for opening on a positive note? 😛

Happy Friday. Can’t say it’s all that happy with what the Supreme Court did today and what Thomas’ comments at the end of his thoughts would hint at down the road. Just not all that happy. Where does all this craziness end? There. I’ve balanced the optimistic opening with a dire follow-up.

Ok. Let’s try again. Welcome to your weekend. Wet tomorrow for a while. Was too warm for me today. I did a lot of running around from 7:30 this morning until about 2:00. It began, actually, at 6:00 when that $&#*@&$ alarm clock went off. As well as the alarm on my wrist. Got up for a little Chuck time before showering and picking up my horror movie buddy and his mom at 7:45 and scoot them out to the airport. Not too much opposition to that on the roads, though we did run into road construction that wouldn’t allow us across the big bridge coming out of Eagan so had to choose a different path, namely 35E. In any case, the airport itself was the least crazy I’ve seen it for the last few times I’ve been out there. That was nice, considering I figured I’d run into the folks heading to work.

From there, I came home for a little bit before running back out to my dental implant appointment. THIS was the moment that tickled me pink. A little history though. At the time I had my extraction six weeks ago today, I explained to them I had co-written a screenplay for a movie. They were genuinely impressed and interested. So, I thought it fitting to take them the real product today and show them I wasn’t kidding. Well, the assistant is the first one I saw today. She is the same who was with us for the extraction. She’s a total rockstar! So full of personality and so fun. The kind of people I embrace. She was excited when I showed her the script. She paged through it quickly before doing her job. She placed me in a machine that would circulate 360 and take X-Rays of my mouth. Then she took me into the room where the surgeon would ultimately arrive. She did what she needed to do on the computer and then mixed the cold stuff they pour into the mouth mold. She inserted it into my mouth and sort of held it there for 90 seconds, making small talk. Then once she pulled out the mouthpiece, she wrapped things up and let the oral surgeon know we’d be waiting for her. She returned and asked to see the screenplay. I simply stretched out in the chair as she began reading from page one. Then the oral surgeon came in and more personable behavior. It was like the old gang was back together again. lol Once she did what she had to do, was little to nothing, then she scooted over to the assistant so she could see the screenplay too. She began paging through it, seemingly frustrated. Finally, she indicated she wanted to find the spot where the Christmas ornaments come to life. So, I took it, found the page, and then handed it over. I continued to relax while they read not only that scene but they read further until they hit the scent that will be a gut punch to the audience. The oral surgeon stared at me until I said, “You got to the end of Thanksgiving, didn’t you?” Yup. She had. She said, “Did you want to make us cry?” All their reactions they were having were exactly the kind my writing partner and I hope for from any audience who comes into contact with our text. I took those two pictures of them and they had no clue. I was getting such a kick out of being almost ignored while they consumed our words…it was a moment that truly tickled me pink. These two women are awesome. Glad they’re working on this expensive project with me. At least we’ll have fun while they’re putting a screw into my mouth and gums. Oh, and when the assistant walked me to the back door again, she insisted she give me another pint of chocolate ice cream. That’s usually meant for people having had a tooth pulled. But this one makes sure I have one when I leave each time. Too damn funny. 🙂

From there, I had to run home to put the ice cream in the freezer. Then, I ran back out to Target. I needed to get a few things. And I did. From there, I headed back home. Put the few groceries away and then sat down to quickly jot down the story from the dental office and send it to my writing partner. I want him to know of these moments I experience cuz he deserves to hear what people are saying/how they’re reacting. I told him I’m going to be the The Ornament‘s biggest cheerleader moving forward. I have never felt so strong about anything as I do about this. If this isn’t purchased and doesn’t become a movie, than I have no idea what a good story truly is. We have a helluva story to share with millions. Ho Ho Ho.

Ok, so, I’ve been to the airport, then home, then Target, then home, then I went to Starbucks cuz I just wanted to sit and read. My writing partner called as I was driving and we talked about my experience and then he once again shared his story about where the story idea comes from. I went in a grabbed a mocha and read for an hour. I left, knowing I still had to stop at Cub. I did so and picked up the final items I needed and headed home one last time. I watched the fallout from the SC decision and decided I should write this now and then perhaps I could take a quick nap. It’s still difficult for me to say that. But now that I accept the notion of napping on purpose, I think it’s what I want to do. 🙂 Between waking at 6 and then the constant running around and the heat out there…Yup. I need a nap!

No major plans tonight beyond watching baseball again. Tomorrow an early game and Sunday an even earlier game. So, I will definitely get in some substantial streaming services programming tomorrow and Sunday. That’s a good thing. Gonna try and wrap up the final three episodes of Obi Wan Kenobi tomorrow. Again, we shall see.

One thing more…I forgot to share this week’s Golden Buzzer recipient and you have GOT to watch this. Mesmerizing. So incredibly impressive. Women rock! Enjoy!

I hope you have a wonderful Saturday and may your Friday night, should you be reading tonight, is a relaxing or whatever you want it to be. I’ll be good to just chill with baseball 🙂 Adios!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Thursday, June 23rd, 2022

The heat has definitely made a return visit. Nothing we can do about it, right? I just checked out July 4th and the forecast still looks summer warm. That’s fine. It’s to be expected and we won’t necessarily bake on that flatbed when doing the parade announcing with the judges sitting next to me. Eleven days from now 🙂

I had no real agenda today except to be home between noon and three to watch Hearing #5. Then, last night, I saw an email from Barnes and Noble. Dang them. They know I have an addiction problem. They continue to taunt me with their book news. lol This one got past me a month ago but reading the synopsis in the email, I knew I wanted to have it. It deals with time travel. There are three keys that will guarantee a book ending in my home. One, if it deals with the assassination of JFK. Two, if it deals with a writer or books as a topic. And three, time travel. I have ALWAYS been mesmerized by that topic. That’s why when Stephen King published his rather popular 11/22/63, it dealt with both the assassination AND time travel. I was in heaven. Here’s a cut and paste of the new addition to my family of unread books thus far…”On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice’s life isn’t terrible. She likes her job, even if it isn’t exactly the one she expected. She’s happy with her apartment, her romantic status, her independence, and she adores her lifelong best friend. But her father is ailing, and it feels to her as if something is missing. When she wakes up the next morning she finds herself back in 1996, reliving her 16th birthday. But it isn’t just her adolescent body that shocks her, or seeing her high school crush, it’s her dad:  the vital, charming, 40-something version of her father with whom she is reunited. Now armed with a new perspective on her own life and his, some past events take on new meaning. Is there anything that she would change if she could?” There you have it. And how did I feel walking out of B/N with a brand new hardcover book? You got it. Ecstatic! I keep telling you…the small things in life make life worth living 🙂

On the way home, I decided I needed to finally stop someplace for an actual watering “can.” In this case, however, it’s plastic. I went to Fluegel’s to support the hometown business and bought a $9 watering container for my plants. One, I can make one trip to the patio now instead of two. My previous container was rusting through, as I discovered yesterday when letting it sit for a while with a gallon’s worth of water inside. Yikes! Two, it is easier to water the plants as I can maneuver the nozzle of the container into the heart of the plant. I gotta tell ya, this year, these two plants are so thick in foliage it’s hard to find a place to actually water them. When I got home, I gave the new device a trial run and it worked pretty well. I also added some of the fertilizer powder I bought last year when one of you suggested I do it for what was then sickly looking plants. They already look a little less than they did when they first arrived, so I figured this is a good time to start the fertilizer. I love looking at those too much to lose them this early in the season. 🙂

So, I had seen on my YouTube TV that provides me my access to normal stations that the hearing was going to start at noon. Not true. Finally, after I was sitting here trying to figure out when it was going to begin, they tossed up on the screen a notification that it would begin at 3PM ET. That was enough for me. So, I managed to do a couple other things before being glued to the tube once again for a couple of hours. And I was. Had I known, however, it wasn’t going to begin until 2:00 our time, I would have run to Target to discuss with someone in the optical department what kind of discount a person like me with AARP-United Healthcare insurance. I checked out my policy online last night after the eye appointment and the new prescription in my glasses. From what I could tell/understand, I should have some type of discount on at least the lenses. I have issues, however, with Target’s glasses. A topic for another night. I’ll check out that info tomorrow.

So, speaking of tomorrow…I’ll be running over to pick up my horror movie buddy and his mom around 7:45 and off to the airport we’ll go. They’ll be catching their plane to the Coast Guard Academy as my buddy will be starting that new phase of his life in a few days. A exciting time for him. When I return, it will be not long before I have to head to the oral surgeon for the next appointment on the dental implant. This one, I was told, is about 20 minutes. From what I gathered the last time, this one is going to be an examination of the area where the tooth was extracted. I think she needs to see if it’s ready for the next phase where they insert the screw or whatever you want to call it. And that, apparently, happens two weeks later. I have a question for her tomorrow. What if I choose to wait on this? I paid for the extraction. They showed me what my bill will be for the implant procedure. And that i wouldn’t have to pay it until two weeks from now for that appointment. So, first, I want to know if I can wait. Second, I want to know if this appt tomorrow is simply a follow-up to the extraction and consequently not needing a payment because I did already for the extraction, or if tomorrow’s appt is part of the $4800 I’ll have to pay in two weeks should I follow through on this process. I’m not in any rush to spend this money, especially since I’ve discovered I can eat fairly well, even with a gaping space in my upper right area of teeth. I guess I’ll know 24 hours from now.

The Brewers and the Cardinals played their fourth game this afternoon in the 4-game series. Brewers needed to win if they were going to split the series and share the first place slot in the division. I kept one eye on the game while listening to the hearing. The Brewers kept it close but they won. 6-4! Yay!

Tonight, I am catching up on four network shows since the game happened this afternoon. And these episodes I’ll be watching will mark the end to most of the shows’ seasons til September. Plenty of other things to watch in July and August 🙂 Tonight is lasagna for dinner. Simek’s, specifically. I love their frozen lasagna you can pick up at Cub and I assume Target and other places. I get two meals out of it. Toss in some garlic toast and it’s a meal that works for me 🙂 That leaves pizza for tomorrow night again 🙂 And before that, I’ll fill ya in on the airport and the dental implant and my glasses and all that good stuff 🙂 So, have a great Friday. More warmth and then maybe storms tomorrow. Think rain everyone!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022

Good evening, one and all. a warm day but not insanely so. I’d like to think of these days going forward as a warm summer day versus a stupidly warm summer day. 😛

Well, my yearly eye exam is behind me. An hour with the folks over there in Apple Valley. My eye doctor is a nice guy. I miss Doctor Bob and then, once he left, I had a female eye doctor and we got along so well, but she left to open her own practice in St. Paul. So, now I have this third doc. He remembered little facts from a year ago when we met. That always impresses me. As always, the first thing is they come get you and take you into a little room where they run three tests. The first, a burst of air for glaucoma purposes. No sign at all I am heading into that danger zone. Yay! Second, the peripheral vision test. First one eye, then the other. No problem there. Yay! Finally, not sure what this one tests, but I think it’s more about taking pictures while I look into this hole and see a little red farm in the distance on a field of green. I told her today the family in that farmhouse needs to paint soon. In any case, with those three fun activities done, it was in to the exam room we went!

I believe the individual who was dealing with me was fairly new. She seemed a little skittish. And she said the doctor would be putting in the drops to dilate my eyes. When he came in, he asked me if she had done it, but I had to say no. He said she was lacking a little confidence yet in her role, so… In any case, I had to read the ol’ eye chart for her a few times. She asked me a bunch of questions and then she left, indicating the doc would be in shortly. And he was. Full of enthusiasm, he came in and shook my hand. And after a little socialization, nothing like my doc in Cannon Falls, we got down to business. The end results? Well, for one, he wrote a new prescription so it looks like I’ll be sitting down and checking out new frames for a new pair of glasses. Probably time. Next, in looking in my eyes, he said it looks like I’m lacking the oils in the lids that are needed. I didn’t understand it all, but apparently there needs to be the “perfect” blend of water and oil. So, he prescribed the box entitled “We Love Eyes.” What I have been instructed to do is to, each night, with clean fingers, take a drop of the stuff and rub it in to each eye. It will soak into the lids and the oil issue should repair itself over time. I had told him how my eyes burn something fierce in the morning. Part of it, I told him, is my CPap mask slips at times when I’m sleeping and air escapes and hits the corners of my eyes. He said that’s not a good thing and I need to be very careful that it doesn’t do that if at all possible. It’s easier said than done. Finally, he said that from what he could see, the macular degeneration (I have the dry kind which is better than wet) didn’t seem to be worse than last year. However, he was still having me take one more test before I left and he said, if he saw something to the contrary, he’d call me. Otherwise, not to worry. It’s late enough where I think he would have called if something concerned him, so allow me one more “YAY!” He gave me that sheet of paper with that grid on it. You can read the directions that I’m supposed to do once a month. If I experience #4, I am to call his office immediately. It wouldn’t be a good thing if #4 happens. So, it’s an easy way to monitor the degeneration throughout the year. I felt good when I left his office. Another year of that exam behind me. Soon, I can start getting paranoid about the major exam that they now refer to has the yearly health checkup versus a physical. Apparently when you turn 65, it all changes. I experienced that last year in November for the first time. Weird how these insurance companies approach these things. Oh well.

My writing partner reached out last night, indicating we need to start dealing with a logline for our screenplay as well as a proper way to pitch our movie idea and selling our screenplay. He sent me two links with step-by-step instructions for each. When I looked at them, I smiled as I remembered similar approaches to dealing with my students on teaching a thesis or topic sentences or whatever else I taught them when writing. These two links are quite impressive. Pretty much leaves no stone unturned for questions. Now, a logline is “…simply the script’s core conflict summed up in one or two sentences.” I didn’t know what it was. So, I played around with one today. Then there’s pitching the screenplay. “The key to crafting a great screenplay pitch is to stick to only the most important beats in the story. Approach the screenplay pitch as if you have one minute to tell a friend about your fantastic movie idea. Here are some general do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when learning how to write a film pitch:” That’s all you need to see of that. So, two valuable sites for me to peruse and learn from. Now you know what I mean when I tell you that it’s getting real now. Stay tuned for more updates 🙂 I think I’ll be able to share with you the logline when it’s written. It will heighten your curiosity, I hope. 🙂

Brewers lost last night. Back to a tie for first place with the Cardinals. Game #3 tonight. Game #4 is tomorrow afternoon but I’ll be watching the hearing. As of today, Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness debuted on the Disney+ streaming service, along with a new episode of Ms. Marvel and the final episode of Obi Wan Kenobi. Then there’s the arrival of Sing 2 on Netflix. I want to see that, so I look forward to when that can happen. And there’s more stuff yet this week. Too dang much. Westworld, RISE, Trevor, the Musical, and a couple more I’m forgetting. I have to prioritize, I guess.

I hope you had a great day and that your Thursday is just as great. Tomorrow and Friday back to the 90s. Then rain, perhaps, on Saturday. Would be nice. Everything out there looks sickly. We want that corn-on-the-cob ready for the Fourth, don’t we? 🙂 See ya tomorrow night!

G’Night!

Nightly Reflections – Tuesday, June 21st, 2022

The excess heat is GONE! For now, at least. We’ll be warm again on Thursday but then it will get much nicer. I looked ahead to check out the Fourth and all looks fairly nice. Highs in the mid 80s, and sunshine. Of course, that’s 13 days away, so can’t really rely on that this far away, but still, it’s better than looking at five days with the rain icon so I’ll take the sun and the temps right now. We’ll follow it as we move forward. 🙂

Looking back at last night…my Brewers beat the Cards 2-0. Brewers are now in first place alone. Always nice to win that first game in a four-game series. Hopefully, we at least split the series but a sweep would be so very cool 🙂 Tonight, game #2 but it will have to take a back seat to my Tuesday night routine with America’s Got Talent. Yay!

I watched the hearing today. Number four. When the election worker and her mom spoke…just about broke my heart. They had done nothing wrong, but their lives destroyed by the big lie. And many more like them with their story throughout the country. Where does this madness end?

So tonight was dinner at the Texas Roadhouse on Pilot Knob. My horror movie buddy and his mom and I met up in the parking lot at 4:00. A good time to be there for dinner. By the time we left at 5:30, it was definitely busier. I’ve been to one of these decades ago with four other people. Northern Illinois. We were all coming back from a day at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL. I remember peanuts and popcorn all over the floor. I remember a fun atmosphere. I remember having the shrimp special that night. It was a Saturday. Today, many years older, no peanuts and popcorn anywhere to be found, and no shrimp special on a Tuesday, we examined the menus for a while. They have a special period of the day Mondays through Thursdays. I forget the catchy phrase they use, but essentially it happens between 3:00 and 5:00. If you get your order in during that time frame, any one of a number of meals from their list will be discounted. At least two of us ordered from that menu. I got a BBQ chicken breast, almost steak like in appearance, along with two sides. I got fries and corn. Before that, they brought to the table the absolute best buns in the whole wide world! I used to go gaga over the dessert Khan’s would bring to the table for the dinner items. I also thought the toast in the Cane’s meals was without competition. However, these buns…well, they win hands down! Dang, better than the breadsticks at Olive Garden! We all loved them. Too much! Going back to my meal…the chicken breast was so flippin’ moist and the barbecue sauce was out of this world. A ton of food for the price. It was incredible. Very spacious inside. A bar and plenty of seating. I will return, for sure. Nice to have yet another option here in the south burbs. My compatriots also loved their meals. It was a win-win tonight! In three mornings, I’ll see them again as I will be running them to the airport as he is off to the Coast Guard Academy on that morning. Who will watch spooky movies with me this Halloween?

When I came home, my new neighbor was walking back from the mailbox. I haven’t had a ton of opportunities to chat with him. He’s retired as well. A nice man. Recently divorced and moved here from California to be near his son and grandchildren who live in Apple Valley. We talked about stuff. I found out he’s a bit of a handyman. At least he has some knowledge that might come in handy from time to time. I’m as dumb as a brick. My father’s words are coming back to haunt me in my old age. I remember, for example, he’d be working on his car and he’d tell me from time to time to pay attention so I could learn something, but I told him I had no desire and that I would pay people to do what he was doing. Famous last words. Ugh.

Tomorrow morning I have an eye appointment. At 9:00! Swift move, Chuck. The one thing I usually dislike about this exam is the drops they put in to dilate my eyes. I pay the price for hours after. However, this time, I also am a little anxious to hear what, if any progress, he sees in my macular degeneration. I take my pills religiously every morning. I am hoping I don’t have to hear anything that will stick in my head day after day. I have that hypochondria gene floating around in my person. I also wonder how much closer I am to cataract surgery and if glaucoma will enter the dialogue. Getting older is always a treat. It’s a blessing to tasted the added years of retirement, but the price is heavy sometimes. I’ll have an update tomorrow night.

Tonight, you already know the plan, so I’ll just wish you a happy Humpday and in 24 hours, I’ll be back here spilling the beans on all the goods. 🙂 Until then, enjoy the next 24. And the nice weather that’s available to us 🙂

G’Night!